Seven tips for how to write like a 5-year-old

If you read my post about writing like a 5-year-old, you may be asking yourself, “But, HOW do I do that? Here’s how to prime yourself to write in your child-like zone.

Practice. Every craft requires practice. In music you practice playing scales, you practice playing songs. To write like a 5-year-old, know that you’ll need to practice this carefree frame of mind so that it becomes natural to you. As a reminder, stick a Post-it note on your monitor that says: “Write like a 5-year-old.” Then do it. Here’s how:

1. Talk to yourself: Before you start a writing session, recite this sentence aloud several times: “Now I’m going to write like a 5-year old.”
2. Act as if no one is reading what you write. To do this, pretend you are someone else and make up a writing identity and name that you will write as during your 5-year-old writing sessions. Suggestions: Pippy, Skippy, Chipper, or Aurora.
3. Set a timer and do a timed write. The timed aspect forces you to just write without over analyzing what you’re doing.
4. Write something crazy (intentionally). One way to do this is by thinking of things that really annoy you. What gets on your last nerve? What is your pet peeve? Write about this — full out.
5. Write about a weird dream you had.
6. Imagine you’re telling your mom, best friend, or cousin a story about something,  maybe a dream, or some odd incident. Just put it out there, tell it without over thinking it.
7. Use this antidote to squash your inner critic. Say out loud: “What do I really have to lose?” “I hate you!” or say, “So what?” If you want to sound like a teenager, you could say, “Whatever.”